Colm watched as the ice elemental entered its "enraged" state. Its movements became erratic—faster, yet lacking precision.

It's sacrificing dexterity for brute strength, he mused, eyes locked on the creature. Seconds passed, and after a brief display of heightened power, the elemental shrank back to its normal size.

Huh. Colm raised an eyebrow. So it's a temporary buff. Less agility, but more strength, judging by the sheer size increase. It lasted about thirty seconds, maybe? I wasn't counting. How long before it powers up again?

He remained hidden around the bend, peeking out while muttering, "I'm in no rush, you three." His phantoms stood silently, their presence unwavering, as if silently judging his patience.

"Don't be in such a rush," he huffed at them. "I'm sure you three could take it on no problem, but might as well play it safe."

Glancing at his HUD, Colm noted the time. "Hmm. More than a three-minute delay at least. He continued watching", muttering observations as the seconds ticked by. Then, he saw it—the shift in color, the creature's brief hesitation, and the flash of a darker hue before its body expanded again.

Colm quickly checked his HUD. About five minutes. So, it gets a thirty-second buff every five minutes. As long as we take it down before the cooldown resets, we should be fine.

Letting out a breath, he watched as the creature continued circling the ruined fountain. "Why is it circling so much?" he muttered. "Set pattern? Pathing? There has to be a reason."

His gaze lingered on the shattered remains of the fountain, but he shook his head. Focus. Not much longer.

He turned to his phantoms, his voice low but firm. "Once the empowerment ends, you three charge. Got it?"

The trio nodded in unison, ready to strike.

They all watched, the countdown in Colm's mind syncing with the rhythmic pulse of the creature's power.

Five… four… three… two… one…

"Now!"

Carver and Lance leapt forward, charging the creature, while Robin stepped into the open alongside Colm.

Robin's bow shimmered with spectral energy as the Phantom Archer prepared Phantom Volley, loosing an arrow high into the air. The projectile arced gracefully before pausing at its Paragon—then, a rain of spectral arrows cascaded down, bombarding the Ice Elemental in a relentless assault.

Momentarily caught off guard by the sudden onslaught, the elemental let out a piercing, chilling shrill. It wasn't a scream or a yell—it was as if the very air itself howled, an icy wind slicing through the battlefield.

Colm grimaced as the sound reached his ears, shaking his head. That's interesting… it's a bit disorienting. His vision blurred for a brief moment, ghostly duplicates of the creature flickering in and out of existence before clarity returned. That's dangerous—especially if I'm up close.

Refocusing on the battle, Colm saw Carver and Lance finally reach striking range. Their weapons gleamed with spectral blue energy—the telltale sign of Ripping Cleave and Piercing Thrust.

"Don't think I'll ever get tired of that sight," Colm muttered in awe, watching as the spectral energy of his Spirit Warden class intertwined with the surging tidal power of his attunement. The combined forces created a mesmerizing vortex of energy as each strike landed with devastating precision—Carver's Ripping Cleave sent a crashing wave that knocked the creature back, shards of ice breaking free with the impact, while Lance's Piercing Thrust punched a clean hole straight through its core and crashed outwards from the point of impact.

Even after the initial assault, the Ice Elemental still stood. It's durable, Colm noted, admiring its resilience. But as he observed the cracks spreading along its form, he shook his head. It doesn't have much left.

He considered casting a spell but dismissed the thought, lowering his hand. The phantoms have this one.

To his right, Robin materialized another spectral arrow, nocking it smoothly before releasing it with practiced precision. The glowing arrow streaked through the air, striking the elemental with such force that fractures spread like webbing across its frozen body. The creature faltered, its form weakening—then, with a final, decisive swing, Carver's spectral blade cleaved through, accelerating the collapse.

With a brittle crack, the Ice Elemental crumbled, its body shattering into hundreds of frozen fragments that scattered across the battlefield.

Ice Elemental (Level 101) Defeated. Experience Gained. Bonus experience granted for defeating a higher level enemy.

Level Up! +5 Stat Points Available.

"Much easier than the Frost Wyrm," Colm muttered. "Can't argue with the results, though."

He glanced at the notifications, exhaling sharply. "A clean level from that alone, huh? This definitely feels like cheating the system." His gaze flicked over the numbers. " Just one more and I should unlock another Active Ability. It's been a while since I got a new one, so at least there are some good perks coming from this."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

His thoughts lingered on the ease of the battle. It's insane—I'm effortlessly destroying monsters dozens of levels above me, all because I have a stupidly high-tier class. He frowned. But what if I fought something at my own level? How would I actually hold up? I have tricks and survival instincts, but doesn't that mean an enemy at my tier would, too?

He set to distributing his newly earned stat points. I need to test my mettle more, push my limits. I can't get comfortable just because I lucked into a powerful class. The Frost Wyrm was a good challenge and pushed me quite a bit but still. With a sigh, he allocated his points. I'll round out my physical stats and push Intelligence up a little.

As he worked through his adjustments, a stray thought crossed his mind. What if I specialized in a single stat? Focused entirely on intelligence? He pondered the idea, but an image of Jerry slamming his fist on the table, ranting about the dangers of the world, flashed through his mind. A shudder ran through him. I do get the benefit of staying balanced, though, he admitted. At the very least, I want to be able to see what's coming at me. And fortunately, my class specialization aligns perfectly with this build. A smirk tugged at his lips. Almost like I planned this perfectly. He chuckled.

Turning toward the Ice Elemental's crumbled remains, he gave his phantoms a nod. "Good work, you three. You made quick work of this one."

Approaching the shattered corpse, he muttered, "Makes it a bit easier to find that core Tessa mentioned." Brushing away some of the frozen debris, his eyes locked onto a perfectly spherical orb—a shade darker than the rest of the ice.

"This looks like it." He picked it up and activated Analyze.

Ice Elemental Core (Tier 3)

Perfect, he thought, quickly stashing the core into his inventory with Quinn's Legacy. Still so convenient to have an actual inventory. He smiled as he stood up, turning his gaze to the ruined fountain.

"Now," he muttered. "Why was this elemental circling you? Do you have any secrets?"

He stepped closer, eyes scanning the fountain. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary," he said as he ducked under a fallen column and stepped inside the central structure. He scrutinized every inch, peering into the cracks and crevices, running his fingers along the ice-covered stone.

Minutes passed. He let out a sigh and straightened. Is there really nothing here? He sighed again, shaking his head. "I really thought my gamer senses picked up on something." A chuckle escaped him at the thought.

But… I haven't played much as I got older. Maybe they got rusty. He stretched, rolling his shoulders as he pushed the thought aside.

"Well, time to keep going." He turned to his phantoms. "Sorry to keep you three waiting. Let's move forward."

As Colm took a step, a sharp crack echoed through the air. His eyes widened, and he froze, slowly tilting his head down.

I'm a dumbass.

"This is a fountain," he muttered. "Of course it's iced over—but with all the ruins and dust on it, I thought it was solid ground."

"Shit… what do I do?" he whispered, watching as cracks spiderwebbed outward from his feet, racing in every direction.

Gotta act fast. He tensed his legs and sprang into the air just as a deafening crash roared beneath him. The ice gave way, and water flooded the space where he had stood moments before.

Still midair, he reached desperately for anything within grasp. His arms stretched toward a nearby ruined pillar, but his momentum wasn't enough—it was just out of reach.

Shit. Not going to make it. His fingers barely grazed the structure, and for a brief moment, time seemed to slow.

As he looked down, his heart pounded. The fountain… somehow seems much deeper than it should be.

And all he could do was flail as he plunged into the rushing water. The instant his body made contact, he tried to let out a yelp—only to be silenced by the freezing water flooding his mouth.

Fuck, that's cold! The force of the current tossed him around, disorienting him. He struggled to see, but the dust and debris from the crumbling ruins clouded the water, turning everything into a murky blur.

I'm still sinking. He kicked his legs, trying to swim upwards—or at least in the direction he thought was up—but the relentless pressure of the water battered him from all sides. How deep is this fucking fountain?

His descent continued until, finally, his feet met solid ground. A brief moment of stability allowed him to look up—just in time for his eyes to widen in horror.

Ruined columns and shattered stone were plummeting straight toward him.

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 74

Health: 1450 / 1450

Mana: 750 / 750

Strength: 100 (120)

Dexterity: 100 (120)

Intelligence: 125 (150)

Constitution: 121 (145)

Bonded Weapon: Abyssal Ledger (Tier 3, Level 4)

Weapon Ability: Abyssal Lance (Tier 3, Level 4)

Attunement: Tide

Attunement Abilities:

- Rising Current (Level 9)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 5)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Specialization: Resonance

Active Class Abilities:

- Phantom Warrior (Tier 2, Level 3) [Carver]

- Phantom Spearman (Tier 2, Level 2) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Tier 2, Level 4) [Robin]

- Empty

- Empty

Passive Class Abilities:

- Lingering Vitality (Tier 2, Level 10)

- Spectral Persistence (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Phantom Sacrifice (Level 10)

- Empty

- Empty

Skills:

- Analyze (Level 9)

- Stealth (Level 7)

- Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Hardened Skin (Level 10)

- Slash Resistance (Level 7)

- Spear Mastery (Level 10)

- Sprint Mastery (Level 10)

- Poison Resistance (Level 6)

- Stun Resistance (Level 6)

- Dual Wielding (Level 4)

- Infection Resistance (Tier 3, Level 10)

- Heightened Instincts (Level 3)

- Meditation (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Unarmed Combat (Level 7)

- Impact Resistance (Level 10)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

- Echo Sprinter I

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